


The Atrocity Archives

by ricky_tricky



Category: Original Work
Genre: Biology, Genetics, Human Experimentation, M/M, Mention of abduction, Original Characters - Freeform, Original Fiction, Post-War, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Self-Loathing, Suicidal Thoughts, Violence, lgbtq cast, mention of depression and other mental illnesses, mention of prostitution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:40:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26147320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ricky_tricky/pseuds/ricky_tricky
Summary: The Atrocity Archives is a collection of chronologically connected short stories told in different writing mediums that showcases the story of the Windtmürian Rebellion and the people within it. The story starts with Aydan Perryne, a former human experiment who’s destined to become the face of the Windtmürian Rebellion due to his history and hatred of Geni-Corp, the genetics based research laboratory who is rumoured to have started everything…
Relationships: Aydan Perryne/Vincent Adair
Comments: 4
Kudos: 1





	1. Archivist Log #1

**Author's Note:**

> All "Archivist Logs" take place after the story. That's why they're all dated with "?", because I haven't finished the story and I need to figure out when they were written.

**Archivist log dated: June 10, 2272**

**Archivist logs activating. . .**

**Archivist online**

**Archivist:** Greetings!

**Archivist:** I am Simone Petit, the archivist for the Windtmürian Rebellion. I’m collecting data about the rebellion’s leaders as we speak. Everything that you will read in the coming pages is the truth. And we, the rebellion, need to spread the truth like wildfire because the leaders of our island, Windtmüre, will attempt to erase our truth. They will put us in the history books as radicals. As criminals. As fiends. We are not the fiends our government paints us to be, we, are people. People just like you. Please, read and share our story so that the world knows we aren’t the bad guys here. 

**Archivist:** The information in the coming pages will likely be a bit confusing. I beg you to keep reading even when the information is complicated. There are a variety of mediums used by those involved. Journals, text messages, letters, real experiences, memory probes, and interviews that were done recently are just a few of the things I will use to tell our story. 

**Archivist:** Thank you for reading.

  
  
  
  


**Archivist offline**


	2. Claythorne's Notes

**Dr. Clay Claythrone**

**Notes Dated: April 22, 2271**

I started with a group session that disseminated the basics of unmerging to the group. The usual process. After the group briefing, many of the potential patients left. But there were five remaining patients when I finished, so I brought them back one by one. This process is typical. 

**[Prior Patients Information Redacted]**

**Patient #5:** Aydan Matthew Perryne  
 **Age:** 29 years  
 **Height:** 5’9”  
 **Weight:** 160.4 lbs  
 **Merge Type:** Transformative, human bond, 4 bodies in 1  
The last of my patients today is a transformative merge that goes by the name “Aydan Matthew Perryne”. But there are really four boys in one body that go by the following names: Tarran Eerry (host body), Patrick McGrady, Ayo Cahine, and Mateo Romero. His story was one of the darkest I’ve heard in a long time and is enclosed on a separate document.  
Archivist Note: This document was destroyed before I was able to read it

Aydan agreed to a memory probe that started the night of June 7, 2259, hours before Tarran was to turn 18. That’s when the boys merged. There was no audio during the probe feed but that is because of the age of the memory, thoughts at the moment are usually forgotten. I have the probe saved, but I’m writing down what I saw just in case the file corrupts:

Tarran, Ayo, Patrick, and Mateo are together in an experimentation chamber that is well kept but looks old. The boys are touching in some way or another and all have IVs hooked to the crook of their elbows. The IVs lead to hanging sacks above the boys. According to what Aydan told me after getting the probe done, the IVs contained a merging agent taken from radiated fungi and Vragoran* blood, the merging agent described is something that Geni-Corp uses. Then, suddenly, the boys are pulled together into one body (Tarran Eerry’s body) by an unknown force, typical to merging. From here, the feed starts to get blurry, but Aydan pulls the IV out of himself and heads towards the door, shoving people aside and making a break for the exit. He seems taller than most of the grown men in the room and he seems to have more limbs than the average man, but once he makes it to the exit the feed was too blurry to continue watching. Aydan blacked out shortly after anyway.   
_**Vragorans are an alien race that has been thought to have had an influence on transformative merges due to their ability to change forms in darkness._

Aydan told me that the facility indeed was one of Geni-Corp’s. He remembers it being close to the wall*, but can’t remember the exact location due to his degraded mental state at the time.   
_**For those of you unfamiliar with the layout of Windtmüre, there’s a wall that separates the country from the southern “wastelands”. Originally built on a time crunch when the war was occurring, it now serves to keep out banished members of society like a death penalty._

I told him about the risks he’d take when pulling apart a transformative merge, and how little it’s been done. Listed below are the potential side-effects that I told Aydan about:

  * Their bodies will want to merge again (with each other) for some time, so they’d need to be careful about being too close to each other.
  * Sometimes they will all feel the same things, whether it be pain or pleasure.
  * There’s usually a vague psychic connection between the bodies.
  * Patches of their skin may be swapped between the bodies like birthmarks.
  * Memories will still be communal, even some new memories.
  * While none of these sound too horrible, they can make it hard to move away from merging partners. Aydan, all of his voices, told me that it would be worth it. I gave him my information and told him to get into contact with me when he was ready.



After this, he asked for some information for a friend of his. A blended merge by the name of Vincent Adair, a man who has been alive for the past 237 years, since the Atrocity Event that started the merging happened. I worry that his willingness to unmerge will cause his body to become old and quickly die. But, he could go back to being 37. I told Aydan this, he told me he’d pass it onto Vincent then left...


	3. Archivist Log #2

**Archivist log dated: June 11, 2272**

  
**Archivist logs activating. . .  
Archivist online**

**Archivist:** Before we move on with Aydan’s memory probe that will take place after his meeting with Dr. Claythorne, I’ve decided to let Aydan into the Archivist Logs to describe his story after his escape from Geni-Corp. It will make what’s about to happen make more sense!

 **Aydan Perryne:** Hey! So, after I got away from Geni-Corp, I lived out on the streets for.. I don’t know, six months? I was dodging everything and everyone related to Geni-Corp and I was forced into thievery to eat. I was 18, scared, alone, confused about what the fuck had happened to me, and I was without a high school education. Luckily, Astor O’Ryan, a pureblood Vragoran alien found me through my scent? Or some part of my DNA because the Geni-Corp experiments used Vragoran blood? I don’t know, Astor used a lot of big words back then and I didn’t care to ask because I was hungry and he was wealthy. Astor put clothes on my back, fed me, and directed me to a friend of his who lived out on the edge of the city, away from all of the people. Astor also told me this guy was a former high-school teacher, so he could educate me informally. I accepted this offer because I knew next to nothing due to not having any sort of education from Geni-Corp after the four of us were between 13 and 14 years old. When Astor and I arrived at Vincent’s home (which doubled as an antique shop). I wasn’t expecting to see a doll-faced (literally) man with rickety wooden joints and the world’s best hair. Vincent was (and still is) a shockingly cute guy. He’s very well put together and clean. His face has an intelligent look to it and had a ken-doll like perfection to it. Despite having merged with an old ventriloquist puppet, he apparently kept his original facial structure, a long oval-shaped face with soft blue eyes and a gentle expression. The carving of his face caught my eye then because it’s so detailed, there are moles here and there, and the shape of his straight greek nose seems so perfect. And Vincent is over 200 years old, he looks so perfect to be that age, and stuck at 37 forever? It seemed so cool before I had the chance to know what he had gone through to make him ageless. Anyway, I’m getting off-topic. In exchange for a bed to sleep in and education, I worked in Vincent’s antique shop. Over the years, Vincent got to know all sides of me and understood me better than anyone. He got to know everyone in my body individually. He was the first person that really cared (Astor cared, but not nearly as much in the beginning). I loved Vincent like family then...  
 **Aydan Perryne:** Anyway, I lived with Vincent for about three years, or until I was 21. He had taught me all that he could by then, so I decided I was ready to move out and see the city again. I moved into an apartment close to the River Centrum. But, since my education was still informal, I couldn’t do much… So, I decided to become a sex worker (specifically prostitution). I decided to choose this career path because I could change my face and body to the tastes of almost any man (yes men. I’m gay). Despite being on the lookout for any of Fovian Daraquartes’s goons, I lived on my own pretty well. I felt better about my situation because I was working for myself. I wasn’t relying on Vincent anymore and it felt good. I made enough money to support myself and slowly things got better. I got used to the near-constant noise in my head, and changing bodies got easier, yeah it still hurt, changing your bone structure is always going to hurt. But I got used to it. Though this peace didn’t last because things got bad again about a year and a half later. Good ol’ Fovian Daraquartes (the head asshole of Geni-Corp) found us. We almost got taken back. Keyword: almost. Somehow, we managed to get away and into the safety of Vincent’s arms again. So, possessions gone, we lived with Vincent again. I was sad and emotional for a while. I cried a lot and stayed in like I was in quarantine. But I had Vincent and things were back to being okay. I was feeling down and depressed one night, crying on Vincent’s shoulder when I acted on an impulse and kissed him. I won’t lie, I had the habit of going out and finding “clients” when I was feeling down and needed a distraction. And at first I thought that Vincent was like that, but he wasn’t.  
 **Aydan Perryne:** After that kiss, Vincent and I got closer romantically. We were a good match. We enjoyed each other's company and we built each other up. I knew Vincent had it rough when he merged because he lost his lover at the time (both because he was “ugly” to her and because she was cheating on him). But he also lost his will to live at that time. So, still feeling the effects of that 200 years later, Vincent was and still is emotional about it. Honestly, he’s too good for me, even today. After some lengthy discussions, Vincent and I decided that it was okay for me to go back to being a prostitute. He didn’t mind as long as my true feelings were with him. He was also worried about Fovian sniffing me out again, but I went back to work a couple of months after we got together, once all of the drama with Geni-Corp had settled (though, like I said we were both worried about them still). I went back to my business, but I didn’t know how to feel about it. I had since realized that Vincent was the only person who knew me for me. The men I did business with? They only knew my body and the sultry mask I put on for them. I started to change when I noticed that mask I wore. I came home upset most nights and when Vincent noticed the change in my mood, we started to argue, his side out of concern, and my side out of pride. Our arguments were small at first, then they gradually grew in size. He started to worry about me more and more, and I started pushing him away because of it. I didn’t know how to handle his concern and took it as possessiveness over me. But really, he thought it would be better for my bodily health as well as my mental health if I stopped selling my body. He said I could work in the shop with him again, this time for proper pay rather than an exchange for shelter, food, and other resources. Vince said he wanted me to be happy rather than coming home feeling depressed. I defended my honor pretty fiercely the last night we fought (which was about a year after we had gotten together). I was proud of myself for the connections I had in the city, for the men I knew. But looking back Vincent was right, he was just looking out for me. We fought for nothing, I broke up with him for nothing. And there’s not a day that I don’t think about it.  
 **Aydan Perryne:** After we split, we avoided each other in public for almost four years. I avoided looking at his phone number and the pictures we took together. And he shut himself away again. It hurt both of us and it was my fault. I had chased away the only one that cared for me and knew my past at the same time. Most people I opened up to started to treat me differently once I had told them that I was a human experiment, but not Vince. He always loved me.  
 **Aydan Perryne:** In the weeks before my memory probe’s date, Vincent called me and told me about a doctor who could unmerge his patients, and told me to see him. Before my probe takes place, I saw Doctor Claythorne (as you’ve seen in his notes). Vincent and I arranged to meet at Café Atrocity, and that’s where the probe starts.


	4. Aydan's Memory Probe

****Probe date: April 22, 2272** **

_**Archivist Notes:** As Aydan mentioned in the last Archivist Log, this probe will be about how Vincent and Aydan make up. And It should give you more details on unmerging. This memory probe is translated from video form into text. This all happened less than an hour after Aydan left Dr. Claythorne’s care. Aydan has four different voices in his mind so below are all of his voices and how I will be distinguishing them as they have key thoughts._

Aydan/Tarran: Hi

Mateo: _Hi_

Patrick: Hi

Ayo: **Hi**

 _I won’t bother with translating all of the thoughts. That would just be confusing for everyone. I’m also letting Aydan add in his own notes using “ **Aydan Note**_ _” like I have my **Archivist Notes**._

The probe starts as Aydan enters the newly rebuilt Café Atrocity. New bricks line the foundation and go up the sides of the building on the corner of the city block. There are two large windows in the front of the cafe to the right of a door with its signature orange and blue logo. Above the door hangs a “Re-Grand Opening” sign, as today marks Café Atrocity’s rebooting after a fire burnt it down in 2268.

When Aydan opens the door, the bell above it gives a friendly chime. The smell of coffee causes the brunet to tilt his head back in an inhale and as he steps further inside a friend at the counter greets him. “Aydan! How are you?” She exclaims with a smile and a wave. The woman’s name is Regan Leerkesin, she’s the wife of the owner of the café, Maureen Leerkesin. Regan is standing at the counter, cleaning cups in a moment of downtime. Her blonde hair is tied up in a bun on her head, a look that seems unnatural on the woman so far as Aydan is concerned. Usually, when Aydan and Regan go out to drink, she has her hair down.

_**Aydan Note:** Regan and I are really good friends. We’re both pretty wild at heart so she gets along with me (Tarran) and Mateo best. We go out to drink and party, sometimes with her friends too. we have a good relationship, we’ve been friends since Vincent first brought me around the original café._

“I’m pretty good,” Aydan replies as he sits at the counter, elbows resting on the surface now. The brunet man puts his chin in his palms and returns Regan’s question, “And how are things with you?” He asks before turning his head towards the door, anticipating Vincent’s arrival.

Regan’s blue eyes glance from Aydan to the cup she’s scrubbing down and back again. “We’ve been pretty good, very busy this morning, but that was the expectation.” She seems to notice the longing look Aydan gives the door, “You waiting on someone, loverboy?” She teases.

Aydan laughs, but internally his thoughts are in conflict, " _Loverboy? You wish Tarran."_ Mateo’s thought rings in through his head, but he shakes it off.

“No, no, I’m just waiting for Vincent. We have things to talk about.” Wait… Crap. Regan knows that Vincent and Aydan used to date. “Nothing romantic, just… talking.” He corrects, but really? That just made it worse. The voices of the others in his head laugh at him again. It’s nothing bad, just light teasing.

“Finally apologizing?”

“I guess you could say that…” Embarrassed, Aydan’s attention turns to the countertops and their aged look, though the cafe was only recently rebuilt. “I met with that Dr. Claythorne guy today, so I asked him about Vincent’s situation, and we decided that we’d get together and talk.” He explains, glancing back up at Regan. 

“Well, good for you.” She pauses, turning to set the cup down on the shelf and grabbing another to clean, “I remember when the old café was open, he came in once without you and just left again. The two of you came in together so much, I guess it hurt him to see the café without you.”

For a moment, all of the voices in Aydan’s head ceased in a sort of solemn moment. They all liked Vincent, just not the same love Tarran had for him. After that, the teasing stops inside Tarran’s mind. “Did he?” He feels hollow now, regretting his actions even more though this feeling is forced from his mind as Vincent enters the scene. His arrival is both signified by the bell’s chime and the faint creaking and squeaking of his wooden joints. 

“Danny?” There’s a small pause as he looks around the room for Aydan.

Aydan turns as that all too familiar nickname is called. He stands from his seat at the counter too, walking towards Vincent. “Vince.”

Vincent meets Aydan’s eyes for the first time in almost four years. They share a tense smile. “Want to sit?” He asks in that faint, yet familiar Italian accent. 

Aydan nods and leads the marionette man to a booth near the window, though against a wall where the afternoon light still lights the table. “How have you been, Vince?” He asks, voice a little nervous, this is the first time he’s seen Vincent directly in almost four years. 

Despite Vincent’s face having the same fake, plastered look on it, his eyes show somewhat of a pained emotion. “Fine…” He replies, chin lowering like a ventriloquist dummy’s mouth would, only from the corners of his lips rather than like a human jaw. “And what about you, Aydan?”

“I’m okay..” He pauses, voices in his head speaking up again, ‘ **Speak up Tarran.** ’ and ‘Tell him you’re sorry.” Come the voices of Ayo and Patrick as they try to bring order to Aydan's mind as he starts to panic. “I..” The brunet puts his hands on the table where Vincent’s own wooden fingers lay, thus laying them on top of the marionette's hand. “I’m sorry, Vincent. I really am. I said horrible things to you and there’s not a day that I don’t regret it.” He can feel his eyes getting watery, and he can feel his voice shake as he finishes, “You don’t have to forgive me, we don’t have to keep talking with each other. I’m not asking for any of that, but I just had to say it…” He can feel the tears on his cheeks now, small ones, but they’re there and they're making the eyeliner and mascara on his eyes smudge. Though those tears aren't there for long because Vincent wipes them away with a finger. That small, familiar action sends a pang through Aydan’s chest. Vincent used to do that on the rough nights, those nights when Aydan's bottle would fill and overflow with emotions. Vincent probably did it out of habit.

“ _Tarran_ ," He uses Aydan's true name, which is not a name many people know, "You’re not the only one who made mistakes that night. I’m sorry too. I’m not saying I could handle another relationship, but I would like to at least talk to you normally again.” Vincent says, eyes squinting in a smile, though his lips don’t really allow such an expression.

“Yeah.. I’m not ready for another relationship either, but I would like to talk again.” Aydan laughs a little, feeling like a massive weight has been lifting off of him. 

“I would like to talk more too. I've had a lot to tell you over these past few years."

"Yeah, same here."

“Well, now that that’s out of the way, would you like a coffee? I’ll pay.” Vincent offers, signaling one of the waiters over. 

“I’d love one, thank you Vince.”

The waiter that comes over is a boy with the name Svend Daman. He’s about 19 with a shy look to him. “Hey, how can I help you two today?” He asks, giving a little smile. Looking closer at his face reveals a lot of strange-looking scars that almost pulse. They’re certainly not normal. The teen also has dark, wiry hair, greyish eyes, and a thin body.

“Just a Cappuccino and a Caffe Mocha.” Vincent gets to the order before Aydan even fully processes the question. This small action makes Aydan smile because even after the two of them split, Vincent still had Aydan’s normal order committed to memory.

Once Svend is gone, Vincent leans forward just a bit to speak with Aydan, “So, Dr. Claythorne, how was seeing him? Did he help you?” The marionette questions in a quiet tone as he tilts his head towards Aydan to better hear his response over a rather peculiar newscast showcasing a man with the bright feathers of a cardinal speaking about the cruelties Geni-Corp has been putting multiple people through.

_**Archivist Note:** The next segment will focus on this newscast so I won’t worry about describing it in too much detail._

Aydan’s response takes a moment due to some internal thoughts on the unmerging:

“ **Well, it went well did it not?** ” Ayo’s voice echoes through the mind as a bit of tension rises in the mind, even without words.

It’s Patrick who speaks next, “It went well but Vincent probably won’t like hearing that he could die if he tried to unmerge.”

“He asked about us, not himself, Patty.”

“Well, he’ll have to know eventually, won’t he?”

“Yeah.. But that’s not in this second, and knowing Vincent he’s probably expecting an answer that’s along the lines of life-risking anyway, even if it’s not what he wants.” Tarran can feel the mixed emotions in his voice, but everyone quiets now, sensing the emotions that drift between them like a pungent odor.

The break in Aydan’s response worries Vincent and thus he puts his hands on top of Aydan’s once more, “It didn’t go wrong, did it?” The worry is evident in Vincent’s tone, he doesn’t want the boys to suffer in one body for any longer than they have.

“No no!” Aydan gives a smile over to Vincent though it’s apparently non-convincing because the marionette’s eyebrows are brought together on his face. “Sorry, we just got lost in thought. Everything went fine, great actually.” Aydan stops for a moment, looking off behind Vincent at the window outside. It’s beautiful out and even if the force fields are to thank for the controlled weather. 

When Aydan looks back to Vincent, the marionette has his head in his palm and he’s forced to quickly look away from Aydan for a moment. “Sorry-” The man says awkwardly, sitting up straight and turning his head away from Aydan. It appears as if Vincent’s permanent blush has gotten darker too.

This whole scene makes Aydan laugh, a few small bubbles of joy floating up and popping in the form of a handful of small giggles. “You were staring at me like a schoolboy Vincey!~” Aydan teases, talk about unmerging forgotten for a few minutes. “Of course, I don’t mind though, you get a free pass to stare all you want.” 

“Oh stop flirting, Danny, you’ll make me fall in love with you again…” Vincent trails off, not looking Aydan in the eye still. His almost besotted tone suggests a deeper meaning to his words that Aydan either doesn’t pick up on or doesn’t comment on.

Aydan gives an awkward and forced chuckle. “Sorry, it just slipped out…” He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Respect his boundaries, Tarran, for fucks sake you’re not trying to get into bed with him mate.” Patrick’s Irish accent drifts through Aydan’s mind and sting just a little bit. But, Patrick is right.

In their moment of awkwardness, the waiter, Svend, comes back over to the table and sets down their drinks. “Here you go, enjoy.” He says before leaving the men to their conversation. The cafe isn’t busy, so it’s possible he caught onto the tension between Aydan and Vincent and decided it best to leave them with their coffees until they’re ready to leave.

“So… Aydan, what did Dr. Claythorne have to say about your unmerging? Anything that might scare you away from doing it?” Vincent gets back onto the topic they agreed to meet to talk about. He wraps his left hand around his cup with his other hand holding up his head again.

“He said we’ll still have a mental connection and that we’ll need to keep a distance between all of us for a while because we’ll want to merge again, but nothing that really seemed too scary..” Aydan states with a calm shrug, “I’m more worried about what he said about unmerging in your situation..” The brunet sighs, not wanting to upset Vincent with the possibilities by any means but they do need to come out.

“That’s good, I’m glad things should go well for you.” Vincent offers a ‘smile’ even if his lips can’t show that expression his eyes and eyebrows can, though that cheerful disposition changes to one of concern as Aydan expresses his worries, “And what did he say about me?” 

“He said that you could either wither and die immediately or your body would be the same as it was the day you merged.” Aydan looks down to his hands, which had been anxiously tapping the side of his coffee cup. 

Vincent’s eyebrows raised up above his thin-framed glasses in a moment of shock, he wasn’t expecting two possibilities, just one negative option. “And did he give and percentages or is it just chance?”

“Just that it was different for everybody so there’s no way to predict what would happen until you were in one of his chambers.” 

“Well… That’s a problem isn’t it?” Vincent taps his chin, eyebrows creasing once again. “Maybe I’ll just stay as I am and let myself burn when I’m alone again…” 

Aydan gasps as Vincent says that. “You don’t deserve to keep living like this, Vincent!” The brunet exclaims louder than he meant to, “Vince, you deserve the world, not death in the worst way possible… I know… I know you’ve gotten close to that before we met, but please, don’t think so low.”  
  
“Aydan, I’ve lived so long and have lost everything except you.” He pauses, “I’ve almost lost you once already… When you’re old and grey everyone else will be too, everyone except for me. I’ll still be here, trapped in this damned wooden prison.” Vincent grips at the legs of his pants, getting a bit upset now. “If I were to get lucky with unmerging and live, I could grow old and enjoy my life and former passions again. But if I were to die now when unmerging I’d be leaving everyone I’ve befriended. So the way I see it, it’s better for me to just let time pass again, spend the next sixty or so years living as well as I can to avoid the risk of death by unmerging.”

“He’s got a point.”

Mateo drops his usual jokes in order to say something more serious, “ _But does he really deserve either of those nasty deaths? Vincent has been nothing but kind to us all of these years, we should at least assure him that he has a chance. Right?_ ” 

“ **Yes, he does have a chance, he’s not seeing it as a 50/50 chance at a better life now.** ”

“And it’s not a 50/50 chance now is it? The doctor doesn’t even know, old merges like Vincent are so uncommon that there aren’t any numbers for either side.”

“ **It’s true that Dr. Claythorne doesn’t know the numbers but that doesn’t mean that the odds are bad. It could be 75/25 in Vincent’s favor-** ”

“Or it could be 75/25 against him or worse.”

“ **Yes, that’s true, but it doesn’t mean that he should lose hope now does it? For the past two hundred years the odds have been against Vincent and he’s prevailed. Yes, he’s gotten close to suicide but he hasn’t gone through with it. He’s been struggling with depression for two hundred years and he’s still fighting it.** ”

Aydan had faded into silence as Patrick and Ayo argued over what to say to Vincent. His expression had fallen to a very low one, an expression with a frown, eyes stormy with emotion as they flash between the colors of the boys’ eyes. 

This sudden flash of emotion in Aydan causes Vincent to speak. “Aydan?” He sounds worried.

Ayo’s golden eyes stare back at Vincent as he takes control of the body to speak, “ **Vincent, you must have some hope for yourself, really. Just because the odds are unknown doesn’t mean they’ll be out of your favor**.” 

Vincent looks down at his cup, “I know, but it’s still a risk I’m not ready to take yet. Perhaps I should go talk to Dr. Claythorne myself…” He looks back up to see Aydan’s usual cerulean blue eyes again and offers a hand across the table to him, which Aydan takes, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so melancholy towards this, but I really don’t want to risk my life right now. I will go talk to Dr. Claythorne and see if he can give me any more answers, but until then I won’t get my hopes up.” With his free hand, he lifts his coffee cup to his lips and drinks some of the liquid. 

“I guess that makes sense, but don’t get all mopey on me, okay? I don’t think ventriloquist dummies are supposed to be sad.” Aydan offers a cheeky smile to Vincent, squeezing the marionette’s wooden hand as he teases him.

“Har har, you’re very funny.” Vincent rolls his eyes, looking half-amused. He pulls his hand back now, resting it on his lap as he drinks his coffee.

Aydan laughs then the two of them fall into silence as they finish off their coffee and pay. Svend comes back and takes their payment, which came from Vincent (much to Aydan’s dismay). The cafe’s patrons had been drifting in and out, some taking their drinks and leaving and others sitting and chatting with old friends. Some make new friends too. And as the sun starts to get a bit lower in the sky, the two exit the cafe, and their relationship, at least in part, is restored.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you around, Vince. We should hang out soon.” Aydan says, starting to turn to walk home.

“Yeah, we can talk about when over the phone,” Vincent replies as he waves at Aydan. Then he stops, “How about I walk you home?” The marionette offers moments before Aydan rounds the corner of the cafe. It’s starting to get a little cloudy now, thick dark clouds rolling in from the edges of the tops of the buildings.  
  


Really, Aydan was hoping to spend more time with Vincent, their time at the cafe didn’t last as long as he thought it would. Though maybe that was just time flying? “I’ll take you up on that.” He says, beckoning Vincent towards him.

A skip in his creaky step, the marionette joins Aydan and the two walk back to the older part of Windtmüre, with old brick buildings and narrow alleyways. The sidewalk here is cracked and uneven, and there are few people about. But, Vincent and Aydan don’t care, they’ve walked this route a hundred times together. This time, it’s a little awkward but the two still pass smiles between each other, catching up on the events of the other’s life in their self-made absence from the other. 

About a block and a half from Aydan’s greyed apartment building, those aforementioned clouds close in and shake with a crack of thunder that sends a downpour of rain onto the man and the marionette. This sudden torrent of rain sends the pair of them dashing for Aydan’s door and by the time they reach it, they’re soaked. 

Aydan fumbles with the door as it sticks in place. He rattles away at the handle as Vincent leans over him, pressed close to stay out of the rain. “Hurry, hurry!” Vincent prompts, wanting to get out of the weather.

“I’m try-” And just like that the door pops open and pulls Aydan and Vincent into the building, sending them onto the floor in the process. 

Vincent’s stiff joints lock into place with a click as he hovers above Aydan who’s in a daze on the floor, staring at the old tiles of the apartment’s lobby. The brunet flips himself over as Vincent stares down in worry, “Are you okay?” The marionette asks, dummy jaw hanging down. 

“I’m fine, but you’re so heavy you pushed the door in!” Aydan exclaims with a laugh as he meets Vincent’s eyes. So similar in color though Vincent’s eyes are dull like faded blue paint and Aydan’s are a bright and lively cerulean shade. 

Vincent was laughing until he met Aydan’s eyes, those stunning blue eyes froze him in place like he’s been turned to stone by Medusa’s gaze, though Aydan doesn’t harbor any malice towards Vincent. After a few moments of awkward staring, Vincent pushes himself off the floor and stands, brushing off his knees and offering a hand to Aydan, “Sorry..”

Aydan takes that hand with his, and though the wood-like joints pinch his skin, it’s a feeling he missed. “Sorry for what?”

“For staring, I know I shouldn’t.” Vincent chuckles just a bit, slowly pulling his hand away and rubbing his arm with it. Even if his face can’t fully express it, he looks ashamed, guilty even. “I still can’t stop looking at you, even after all of these years.” There’s a pause there and the painted blush on Vincent’s face gets darker, “Oh lord, did I say that aloud?”

“Yes, yes you did…” Aydan laughs but really his face is burning. “You’ve always been such a forward man, Vincent.” He turns his head away. 

“Sorry, it just slipped out.” Vincent rubs the back of his neck, looking down at Aydan still. “Would you mind letting me stay with you until the storms calm down?” He asks.

“Uh… Yeah, sure…” Aydan turns away from Vincent fully now, once again beckoning for the man to follow. “Come on then.” He says, heading up to the second story of the apartment complex.

The only sound behind Aydan is Vincent’s creaking steps as the pair make their way up the stairs. As they reach the top Aydan turns to face his door, right next to the stairwell and he unlocks it, though this door doesn’t stick as the lobby door did.  
  


Aydan lets Vincent inside before he heads inside himself to lock the door behind them. Vincent takes his shoes and vest off, wanting to let the expensive-looking piece of clothing dry without him being in it. “Thank you for letting me stay, and I’m sorry I said that romantic stuff before, I still stand by what I said at the cafe about not being ready for a relationship again, but…” Vincent pauses his apologetic rant to look away from Aydan, “I’m realizing now that my feelings towards you haven’t changed at all, I still feel how I felt when we were together..” There’s a bit of nervousness in his tone as he finishes that statement, and he still doesn’t look at Aydan.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” Aydan replies, a twinge of pain in his tone. He runs his fingers through his hair, still wet and getting curlier by the minute. Honestly, he wants to tell Vincent that he does indeed love him still too, but they split for a reason the first time and he’d hate himself if he hurt Vincent again.

“You don’t have to say anything, let’s just wait out the storm and forget I said anything.” The marionette sighs, sounding a little bit annoyed. From there he hangs his vest on the mounted coat rack on the wall and sits on the couch, looking at the pouring rain hitting the window. 

Aydan tosses him a throw blanket from the blanket rack he has and grabs one for himself, sitting with Vincent on the sofa. There’s a few minutes of silence as the two sit on opposite sides of the couch, wrapped in their own blankets and wrapped up in their own worlds as Vincent watches the window again and as Aydan fiddles with his phone.

Eventually, the wordless quiet gets to Aydan as he turns to Vincent, “Vince, I’m sorry I probably sounded so cold before..” He mutters, fingers locking together out of nervousness.

“No, no, Danny, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have said anything, it conflicted with what I said before about not wanting to be with you again. I should apologize.”

“Stop apologizing, it’s not that big of a deal.” Aydan shakes his head. “Let’s just drop this, I don’t want to make things awkward again. I’m just glad to have you in my life again, Vince, I really missed spending time with you.” The brunet offers a smile. “I’ve got a couple of movies I think you’ll like, do you want to watch them?”


	5. Rebellion News Feed

**Broadcast date: April 22, 2272**

_**Archivist Notes** : _ _I mentioned a newscast playing while Vincent and Aydan were in the cafe. This newscast was centered around new footage of Peter Hoode (a well-known rebellion leader) exposing some of Geni-Corp’s new experiments._

A moment of static cues a man with the red feathers of a northern cardinal atop his head in an alert, pointed mohawk as he speaks, “Citizen’s of Windtmüre, as many of you know I am Peter Hoode, the leader of the Windtmürian Rebellion and I come to you with news of new horrors that Fovian Daraquartes and the rest of Geni-Corp have created using sentient life.” Peter’s hands grip the edges of the podium that he stands at and he spreads his wings wide, like an angel, though rather than white, his wings are a vibrant red. “We have uncovered information about two new experiments and I bring you an update on a third,” His hand raises in a show of three fingers and his wings settle against his back. It’s evident that he’s putting a lot of his weight against the podium rather than on his own feet. Peter grits his teeth as he continues to speak, “One of them is a _child_. No, she isn’t human, she’s a Vragoran child, pureblood too.” The cardinal’s face scrunches up in disgust as he continues, “Every few weeks her blood is stolen away from her in order to create tortured transformative merges like my good friend Aydan Perryne, whom Fovian is still searching for due to his rare mutations. The Vragoran girl lives in a **_cage_** and is hardly kept alive. She’s used only for her blood and has never left the institution. The next experiment has been an ongoing attempt to crack the notes left by the esteemed doctor, Clay Claythorne in his time with Geni-Corp. Reportedly multiple people with both living and non-living merges have become experiments in unmerging, most of which have resulted in the death of the patient. One of the only successes has been a formerly pregnant woman given the identification code: _233-LYCR_. Unfortunately, we were unable to figure out her name…” 

Peter pauses and looks down at the podium shifting on his feet before he looks straight into the camera once more with what seems to be a more intense look. He frowns as he resumes his speech, “But, I’m sure hardly any of you care about any of that because who would believe a radical when none of this could possibly affect you, right?” Peter gives a large shrug and a breathy, cynical chuckle. “Well, Windtmüre, I’d tune my ears in now if I were you because you might see a new face around the streets of Windtmüre very, very soon. They call him _The Hunter_. He’s superhuman and is set to be on the hunt for new _treasures_ for Fovian. But why is he a threat? Well, for starters he’s bent to Fovian’s will like a dog trained for a K-9 unit. That and he’s set out to get information by _any_ means necessary. I’ll let you think about that.”

Peter Hoode glances towards his assistant from his podium, she is a raven merge named Eira Croven. Then his attention turns to the camera again and at the edge of the camera’s field of vision Eira makes a hand motion, a quick dual fingered move where her hands go up and down in opposite directions. Now when Peter continues his tone is rushed and his expression is more urgent, “Windtmüre, I’m only trying to look out for you. Fovian Daraquartes only cares about himself and his sick experiments. Please, show your support for the people of this country, tell the Windtmürian government that we won’t tolerate being treated like rats in a cage any longer.” Peter again looks to his assistant before he steps away from the podium, looking mildly panicked now. “I must bid you adieu, Windtmüre, please, _be safe_.” As Peter turns to leave, stumbling over his own feet at the side of his assistant, the camera feed shakes and the podium falls, this fall is caused by something large coming onto the stage and the sound of splintering wood follows as does the sound of what seems to be very heavy footsteps. After that, the camera feed is cut. 

The newsfeed cuts to a woman at a newsdesk, she has a holographic image of Peter’s wings-out pose to her right with the headline ‘Windtmürian Rebellion’s leader makes false accusations about Geni-Corp’ drifting at the bottom of the screen as she begins to speak. “What you just saw is the radical, Peter Hoode giving an alarming allegation about Fovian Daraquartes and his supposed ‘sentient experiments’. The radical gives no proof of these blatant accusations and doesn’t seem to have any sources of information.” She taps her notes against her table as her partner, a man, begins to speak…

“And this information can’t be trusted, especially because the radical reportedly used to live with Fovian Daraquartes like a son. They’re practically family.” The man states. “Peter Hoode’s words shouldn’t be trusted, he’s clearly not okay mentally. It’s a miracle a radical like him has even gotten as many followers as he has.”

“It is insane how many followers he has. He has people wrapped around his finger for sure.”

“He must pay them to support him like some sort of rigged game. His followers are probably fake.” The man gives a disgusted look to the camera, “Citizens of Windtmüre, do not support this radical, he’s dangerous and is certainly looking to be banished.”

“Yes, protect yourself by ignoring him, not by supporting him,” The newswoman glances onto her watch, “And now, onto the weather.”

_**Archivist Notes** : _ _Yes, this is a clip from the actual news station on Windtmüre, it’s still like that with people denying our actions against Fovian. I swear we’re only looking out for Windtmüre, not our own interests. Members of the Rebellion have died fighting for the freedom of the people, and they have the gall to call us liars._


	6. Oakley Croven Banishment Newspaper

Hello everyone. In the following pages, I have inserted the transcript of a newspaper article I wrote in regards to the banishment of Oakley Croven. I understand that I haven’t been able to formally introduce him to all of you, but I will be telling you about what he did for the Rebellion in the following weeks.

* * *

_EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW_

**CROW-MERGE ATTACKS GENI-CORP PRESIDENT**

By: Simone Petit, _Rebellion Gazette_ lead author

Layla Croven, a girl who has been missing for just over 5 years recently has had rumors surfacing about her whereabouts. Her brother, Oakley Croven, was banished today for attacking Geni-Corp President, Fovian Daraquartes, to find answers.

This morning, May 2, 2272, Oakley Croven was woken up by a broad-shouldered stranger knocking at his door. The man gave him a photograph of his long-missing younger sister, Layla, alive but without her former rook-merge. Oakley was in disbelief and upon following the stranger back to a Geni-Corp facility, he found Fovian Daraquartes and begged for answers. Of course, this got out of hand as Oakley’s desperate state led him to violently assault Fovian. Or so the Geni-Corp president claims.

Oakley is well known for his protective nature, as he plays a fatherly role for abandoned children in the slums in the western part of Central Windtmüre. Of course, his protective nature extends to his sisters, Eira and Layla as well. As I mentioned previously, Layla was abducted and no one has heard anything from her in the past 5 years, so of course, this was going to spark something in Oakley.

I was able to talk to Eira about what happened to Oakley and like any sibling would be she was devastated when she saw her brother pass through the gates into the Banishment Lands. I asked her if she thinks her brother would be okay despite the odds:  
⏵ “I have faith that he’ll find a way to survive, but no one really knows what’s out there.”

She’s right, no one knows what’s outside of the walls and force fields that surround the majority of the island. There have been hundreds of banishments in Windtmüre’s two hundred year history. For all we know the outside world could be safer for the deviated minds of the Rebellion than here within the borders of the city, but this is unlikely, as the radiation is higher outside of the force fields, so it is probable that there are beasts beyond our knowledge out there.

Another question I had for Eira was about the children her brother watched over. More specifically what would happen to them:  
⏵ “I’m going to try to keep an eye on them, but they’re skittish and I haven’t been around them very much. I just hope that I’m able to keep them safe.”

In relation to this, there is a law in Windtmüre that allows Geni-Corp to take children not born in hospitals for the safety of the children so they do not merge as babies outside of a controlled

area like a hospital. This is important as Eira later expressed worry that Fovian would take Oakley’s kids in now that they are without a guardian, legal or not.

One of my last questions for Eira was in regards to her missing sister, whom Oakley was searching for when he was banished. I asked Eira if she thought that Layla was alive at all.  
⏵ “I don’t know, I hope she is, but I’d rather have a dead sister than have a sister who has been put through torture by the hands of a monster like Fovian Daraquartes. I’m just glad that it seems Oakley won’t suffer the same fate.”

I also asked Eira if the Rebellion planned to do anything in retaliation to the banishment as it was something that was directly triggered by a Geni-Corp member.  
⏵ “We can do nothing,” She started “All we can do is pray.”

All members of the Rebellion must keep Oakley and Eira in our thoughts. This can’t be easy for either of them.

I managed to get an interview with the Geni-Corp president himself, Fovian Daraquartes though I worry that he has motivations other than goodwill in doing this interview.

I asked him if he was attempting to undermine the Rebellion by bothering and banishing prominent members, as he has banished members in the past upon them getting caught being double agents (namely Aris and Newt Dottsman who were banished a few years ago).  
⏵ “Simone, that sounds like an accusation Peter would make. Oakley attempted to attack me. My bodyguard, Sandor Kovacs was hardly able to get him away in time. You should see the bruises he has. Oakley wasn’t banished for being a part of your minuscule group, he was banished because he got violent.”

Fovian’s answer drug an unplanned question from me in regards to who gave Oakley the note. I asked Fovian why Oakley pointed his

blame to Kovacs when he was asked to tell his story in regards to why he attacked.  
⏵ “I don’t know, all I can tell you is that I wasn’t the one who ordered that note and photograph to be sent to Oakley.”

I asked him what Kovac’s answer to that question would be.  
⏵ “There’s no need to do that, Kovacs isn’t as quick in the mind as you or I, he probably wouldn’t be able to answer.”

I felt my blood boil at that answer. Even if Kovacs isn’t all there, that answer was hardly fair. And as I began to speak again, Fovian stopped me and asked if I had any more important questions to ask or if he could get back to his research.

I told him that there was something else I wanted to ask about and questioned the whereabouts of Layla Croven.  
⏵ “If you recall, she was abducted, Simone, if I had her in my care, she would have come to her own accord, as all of my patients do.”

In response to this answer, I asked a question about an accusation Peter made just a few weeks ago. I asked Fovian who 233-LYCR really was.  
⏵ “233-LYCR is nothing but a made-up code from Peter as he plays pretend with all of you deviants. 233-LYCR doesn’t exist, Simone. You may ask any of my best scientists if she exists, but I assure you that you’ll only be disappointed when your mystery search comes up dry. Now is that all? I have actual work to do that’s more substantial than your fake newspaper.”

I stopped there, stunned by his response. I felt anger bubble up in my systems, and as Fovian turned to leave with a smug smirk on his face, I blurted, “Peter was right about you, he always has been! Peter was right about Kovacs being your hunter and he’s right about a woman named 233-LYCR, I’m sure of it.”

Fovian only paused his walk away from me for a moment, but he did turn his head to face me in part. ⏵ “Prove it then, Miss Petit. If you can prove it, I’ll show myself out of the very gates our ancestors built two hundred years ago.” I could see the corners of his lips curl up in a freakishly broad grin, twisted by his years of freedom and control, by his ego and his arrogance. Fovian is the one who should be banished, and one of these days, he’ll slip up, I just know it.

I let Fovian go now, feeling that the interview, while it gave me more answers, also caused more trouble for us rebellion members.

Now Windtmüre, please do your best to stay safe, both tonight and in the future. Things seem to be heating up between the Rebellion and Geni-Corp and I will be here, waiting to see what will happen.

-Simone Petit


End file.
